Use Your Head

by The Professionals at the Swim Team Store

How a dome cap can help you get your head in the game

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The age-old adage “Use your head” has probably been drilled into us by our coaches throughout our swimming careers. Following the black line on the bottom of the pool for years at a time probably calls into question what’s between our ears in the first place, but we’re swimmers, and we live for finding ways to get from one end of the pool to the other as quickly as we can. Here’s one of the most efficient ways you can do that, and really use your head in the process: a dome cap.

Theoretically, the ways to reduce the drag when swimming are:

Keep as much of your body out of the water as you can. (Good luck with that.)

And minimize the production of waves and spray.

With dome caps, swimmers now have the most efficient method of promoting laminar (smooth) flow and minimize waves from the head’s course through the water. The head is the leading edge of the body, and the primary point of drag production—where the water separates from the body as we slice through it. The faster we go, the more pressure the water pushes against us, which means the more drag it produces. The head is the first thing that’s slowing us down.

Masters swimmers are all looking for new ways to drop time, and although many of us will spend hundreds of dollars on the best tech suit on the market, hardly anyone considers the technical value of a swim cap for literally a fraction of the price.

There’s no more cost effective way to reduce drag and the impact on your wallet than wearing a dome cap.

There are a substantial number of major manufacturers making dome caps now. What was an odd novelty only a few seasons ago, is standard issue on the Olympic team and most college programs around the country. Everyone is now looking to corner the market on this technology, and the best dome cap for you is the one that fits you best.

Fitting

The dome cap should be worn similarly to a regular latex or silicone cap, with the ultimate goal being as few wrinkles as possible across the head.

Dome caps will often fit over three quarters of the ears and drop down to the nape of the neck

The material is silicone, so it’s inert and hypoallergenic

Durability is substantial, but you’ve always got to be careful of putting a fingernail through it.

Get Your Head in the Game

The Swim Team Store has a full range of all the dome caps, and many other swim products and accessories.

Please review our dome cap selection at your convenience, and come visit us in Indy at Spring Nationals. We’ll get you fitted and dropping time right away.

Nothing will replace the hard work and technique you’re working on every day, but a dome cap is the next best thing, so use your head to work for you, not against you!